


Treasure Chest

by holy_wow



Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, Introspection, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-06
Updated: 2013-10-06
Packaged: 2017-12-28 14:16:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/992856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/holy_wow/pseuds/holy_wow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Haru takes another chance to appreciate Makoto, relishing the relationship they share.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Treasure Chest

It had happened at school. The conversation led by the teacher, asking about their memories and favorite things. She had them all gather around in a circle. Haru and Makoto sitting in the outer circle. Haru had been reluctant to leave his seat and of course Makoto had waited for him, holding his hand as they walked and sat. Haru was disinterested in the topic and unhappy with moving from his seat but he didn't mind holding his hand.

After a discussion the teacher asked them all to share what their own treasure was. She said to think about why it was their favorite before sharing. Haru half listened to the repetitive things his classmates said, already knowing what he'd say. He stared out the window. It was so far now. He had been happy when the new seating chart had him by the window, Makoto sitting in front of him (most teachers learned or knew from teacher gossip it was easier to keep Makoto around Haru). 

"Makoto dear your turn," the teacher said.

Haru thought of everything in Makoto's room as he waited. Makoto sat up straight and squeezed Haru's hand with that smile that Haru thought was difficult to look at. Sometimes Makoto was too much. "Haru-chan is my treasure."

Haru's eyes widened and his head spun to look at Makoto, meeting those green eyes and too bright smile. The room erupted with commentary. Some laughed and others argued that a person couldn't be a treasure, the teacher blinking in shock. Makoto glanced around, smile losing some of its shine. But he didn't let go of Haru's hand and he didn't look away.

Makoto had always been proud of being Haru's friend. Haru knew he was odd and some kids didn't like him. Some were vocal about it. But Makoto always stayed, was never ashamed about it. Makoto had defended him on some occasions even, ever gentle Makoto being always a wall between Haru and whatever Haru didn’t want to face. Haru held his hand tighter as he looked away because sometimes Makoto really was just too much and his heart can’t take anymore Haru is sure.

The teacher shushes the class. "Now now, dears, friendship truly is precious. That's very nice Makoto." She smiled and Makoto nodded. Haru knew Makoto didn't say friendship and he wondered if that mattered. He was however next and Haru couldn't remember what he was going to say. So when the teacher looked at him he gave her silence and an angry pout. How could Makoto just say it like that? When he glanced over from the corner of his eye Makoto was looking at him with such adoration and happiness and Haru realized he felt treasured. So he squeezed the hand that held his. He didn’t answer the teacher but that didn’t matter. At least, Haru didn’t think so, and Makoto’s smile didn’t disappear so it must have been okay. It wasn’t any of the teacher’s business anyway.

Haru now however is sitting and looking at Makoto, who is trying to referee between the twins, and he is questioning how he forgot that. Because it wasn’t Makoto that had changed, Haru thought as his chin rested in his palm. Ren squealed and launched himself at Haru, who leaned back to accommodate the young boy as he wiggled into his lap and sighing. Ran’s cheeks puffed out as she hung from one of Makoto’s arms, legs dangling before wrapping around the tree that was her big brother, who made it look easy to bend to scoop her up and fit her against him. Haru helped Ren get comfortable, ignoring Makoto gently chastising him, and when he looked up Haru saw it again. That expression that stole his breath and made him have to look away because it was just too much. Haru didn’t understand what he did to make Makoto look at him like that but he didn’t ever want to stop.

Then Ren kneed him in the gut and both the Tachibana boys were in a flurry of worry and Ran was yelling at Ren and Haru kept saying he was okay until they believed him. They didn’t, even when Makoto sent the twins to the kitchen to get snacks, specifying what to get item by item, for their movie and the twins ran off with Ran still trying to sound superior and Ren blowing a raspberry. Makoto shook his head, giving the air of a good sort of exhaustion, a happy tired feeling, before kneeling in front of Haru and reaching for his side. “Are you alright?”

Haru huffed. “Yes.”

“You’ve never been one to bruise easily but Ren’s getting to that age when he’s all knees and elbows now. They’re pretty sharp,” he said, glancing at Haru’s stomach with a sorry smile. “Ran’s already a bit taller than him and he’s upset about it. We have to keep explaining girls grow a little quicker than boys and he doesn’t have much to worry about.”

That was true. Everybody in the Tachibana family was taller than average. If anybody was going to have a problem it was probably Ran. Though she was no doubt enjoying her height now. Haru rubbed at his hip and side, staring down at Makoto as he sighed. Haru didn’t want to hear another apology though, and the tenderness in Makoto’s expression was making his stomach flip. He was treasured. He bit his lip before blurting it out because if not he was probably going to have to spend another month working up the courage. “You shouldn’t-“ he stopped because that wasn’t right and he never started right it seemed, but Makoto stopped and looked up at him waiting for Haru, and so he continued. “Thank you, for worrying.”

It didn’t matter that Makoto shouldn’t worry as much as he did and that would be a battle Haru would fight for as long as they were together. Forever, hopefully. What mattered then was making sure he let Makoto know more that he did appreciate it because Haru forgot to do that sometimes. He didn’t bolt, he felt like it but knowing that he didn’t need to and the fact that if he tried he’d have to barrel over Makoto and that would just end up a tangle of limbs kept him seated. Instead he looked off to the side and hoped he wasn’t blushing. Makoto was quiet but his hand was on Haru’s knee and then his chin resting atop that and Haru knew the way he knew how to swim that he was looking at him with that expression and that didn’t help the not blushing part of the endeavor.

“I’m… so happy,” Makoto says and he looks away, Haru feels it in the way his hand moves on his knee, and so Haru looks back to see a darker tint to Makoto’s cheeks and his stomach does that thing again where it contracts and flips. Then Makoto peeks up at him, as if sensing his confusion. “Haru is so much happier now and that makes me happy too.”

Haru is flabbergasted and he wants to hide his face because how does he respond to that? How does Makoto just say that? He angrily pouts to the side, hands fisted on the arms of the chair, and Makoto laughs that small laugh that is honest and pleased not one of his humoring exasperated ones and Haru isn’t sure how to stay mad at Makoto either. He feels so warm, a content warm that starts at the base of his spine and swells through him, and Makoto’s fingers twitch at his knee and the weight there is good, and Haru feels it again. Treasured. He isn’t sure what else to call it, because it fits.

Haru had locked himself up in a box, sunken to the bottom of the ocean, and he’d been so lost that he was going to stay there hoping to stay unfound by everybody. But Makoto didn’t let him. Ever gentle yet persistent, forceful Makoto had ignored that and found him anyway, and he’d spent so long holding onto that box Haru had imposed on himself, carefully prying at the locks and weights, refusing to give up on him. He stirred up Haru, woke him from his dreams and thoughts, putting something profound and colorful inside him, reminded him what that was like so he’d pull himself out. Makoto had quietly fought against everything Haru had put up in a way to protect himself, to destroy himself, offering a hand to help him and Haru saw it better now.

He smiled down at Makoto, which earned him wide eyes green eyes full of surprise before that small smile appeared again, the same one from the hellish training after the storm. Haru still wasn’t sure he was able, or willing, to decipher it. It was such a gentle, adoring, if not a little sad expression. But then Ran and Ren were bustling back, arms full, and Makoto pushed up from Haru’s knee to smile at them. Haru watched, Makoto telling them to calm down and lessening their load with his bigger hands, Haru moving from the chair to the bed. The snacks were set on the floor, Makoto putting the movie in as the twins fought over what they wanted and where they were going to sit. Ran sat next to Haru, Ren laying on his stomach beside her with his legs lightly swaying.

Makoto puts the movie in, something fantastical and animated, before turning and assessing the others. Of course he let everybody else get comfortable before finding a place for himself. Which was absurd because Makoto was the biggest and he shouldn’t have to try to fit his six foot muscled body around others to get comfortable. But he does it all the time and is good at it. Or is good at accepting whatever is left to him and pretending it’s comfortable. Haru is sure it’s sometimes that. But Haru decides he’s okay with the arrangement this time because Makoto swats at his legs gently and then settles between them. He can’t sit in front of the twins, especially not with Ren laying down, and to lay on the floor he’d hurt his neck. All practical reasons, but then Makoto had one arm wrapped around Haru’s leg loosely, cheek resting against his knee, and it wasn’t all practical and Haru blamed that for when his fingers gently ran through Makoto’s hair trying in vain to smooth the strands.

The movie ends and the room is a mess of the wrappers and snacks from the twins. Not that it matters, everybody is asleep except Haru and he’s drowsing off. He stopped petting Makoto a while ago but the larger man had already scooted closer and used Haru’s leg as a pillow as he snored lightly. Haru blinks as his eyes adjust back to half wakefulness and he sees the menu on the television and sighs. It takes some maneuvering but he gets Makoto to lean on the bed and crawls off to get the movie out, yawning as he pushes at the buttons. He’s not that surprised when he turns to see Makoto picking up the snacks and food, rubbing at his eyes with one hand as he wakes up. Still he’s a bit put out after trying so hard to keep from waking Makoto yet.

They work in silence, cleaning everything up and then moving the twins. They rouse a bit, muttering off insensible babble, Haru removing Ran’s hair ties and Ren latching onto Makoto as soon as they touched. It was cute how clingy Ren could be still. But they were curled up in the bed, Ren holding onto his sister as she curled around him. Makoto shut off the light and they made their way down to the front room where they’d be sleeping. It wasn’t unusual for the twins to end up in Makoto’s bed when their big brother had to babysit. They work on a makeshift bed out in the front room, Makoto checking the house once more before crawling in after Haru. They don’t have to be as close here and Makoto gives him space.

Haru, in the dark, feels braver. He usually does. Still, he isn’t sure how long it takes him but he thinks Makoto might have already drifted off to sleep again by the time he tries. His hand slowly, painfully almost, slides across the space between them that feels bigger than it probably is and tentatively he presses his fingers to Makoto’s. To his surprise the hand, warm as always and big, twists and wraps around his, fingers threading together. Makoto’s head rolls to the side, smiling at him sleepily. Haru holds his breath for a moment but Makoto only makes a content sound. The smaller young man isn’t fooled, Makoto isn’t asleep, but it calms him none the less, the silence and the warmth. He scoots just a bit closer.

“Makoto,” he says.

“Un?” His eyes open slowly, sleepy but smiling and waiting. Always waiting for Haru.

“Stay with me,” he says, looking anywhere but Makoto.

But Makoto’s smile just grows, turns into that smile that is too much and not enough. Haru looks up when his hand is pulled and Makoto kisses at his knuckles, at his fingers, and he is thankful it is dark because he knows he’s blushing so much. “Yes. As long as Haru wants me to,” he says, facing Haru now. Makoto tucks Haru’s hand against him and Haru’s heart is thundering as Makoto settles back to sleep. Haru isn’t sure how. There is electricity in the air and he feels tight, like he’s preparing to dive into the pool before a race, and every muscle is ready to react to something. Haru scoots closer and, he doesn’t think he’s thinking much at the moment he’s just moving like when he is swimming, and he presses a chaste kiss to Makoto’s lips. They are soft, parted, and those green eyes snap open to stare at him.

Haru waits. His hand is squeezed as Makoto stares a moment, searching for something and Haru doesn’t let himself look away. He hopes Makoto finds what he’s looking for and – ah there it is. Makoto smiles again, let’s out a soft puff of air, and kisses him this time. Haru smiles against those soft lips. Makoto lets go of his hand to wrap his arms around Haru and Haru tucks into Makoto, presses his face to Makoto’s chest and uses his arm as his pillow as they snuggle as close as they can beneath the blankets. Their legs are tangled and Haru snakes his hand under Makoto’s shirt to feel skin, leaving his hand there at Makoto’s hip and kisses once more at his clavicle before closing his eyes. Makoto holds him just a bit tighter and Haru feels so very treasured.

**Author's Note:**

> So I read the poem Lost and Found by Lang Leav (and you can totally tell where I blatantly reference it here in the writing when you read the poem- and you should read the poem) and basically this is what I spewed out afterwards. Just a lot of feelings and fluff and I've looked at it for too long now so I'm posting it.
> 
> I am also completely in love with the idea of everybody in the Tachibana family being wonderfully too tall and Ran being over six foot when she grows up and no matter how much of a bother it can be at times she will always tease her brother about being taller than him. If I didn't write this for Haru being Makoto's treasure, I wrote this for that single paragraph talking about all of the Tachibana family being tree people.


End file.
